A triple win for advanced nuclear materials research
Leading global business magazine The European has bestowed three awards on the advanced nuclear materials expert and professor at the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom. Lambrinou has earned this recognition for her outstanding performance in the materials science and engineering field for the last decade and longer. Along the way, her work has received EU support through projects such as IL TROVATORE(opens in new window) and SCORPION(opens in new window).
A surprise recognition
The European Awards 2025(opens in new window) acknowledged individuals and businesses for their scientific progress and success in boosting the economy in diverse sectors, despite climate change and other challenges. The three awards with which Lambrinou was honoured are ‘Woman of the Year for STEM Leadership’, ‘Clean Energy Materials Visionary’ and ‘Excellence in Nuclear Engineering’. “I was really caught by surprise back in November 2025 when they called me from The European to inform me that I won three awards, as I was not even aware of the journal’s online voting system,” remarks the professor in a news item(opens in new window) posted on the University of Huddersfield website. “For me, these awards are not only a great honour but also a recognition for 15 years of hard work in the field of nuclear materials science and engineering.”
Safer, more durable nuclear fuel cladding
Driven by the need for improved nuclear energy safety in the aftermath of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, the professor’s work has focused on accelerating the development of advanced nuclear materials. This includes accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding, a material used to encase nuclear fuel rods. Designed to improve safety by withstanding severe accident conditions far better than conventional alloys, ATF cladding technology improves fuel performance, reduces hydrogen generation and increases coping time during accidents. Lambrinou’s research in ATF cladding materials for advanced accident-tolerant energy systems was supported by the IL TROVATORE and SCORPION projects. IL TROVATORE’s main objective was to identify and optimise some of the most promising ATF cladding material concepts for Generation II and III light-water reactors – the most common nuclear power reactors worldwide, which use ordinary water as both a coolant and a neutron moderator. The project then focused on validating these concepts in an industrially relevant environment. SCORPION’s focus was on improving the performance of silicon carbide composite cladding. This material is seen as a major leap forward, unlike more incremental upgrades to current materials like chromium-coated zirconium alloys, which are just beginning to be used in reactors. The project sought to solve two key problems with silicon carbide cladding: achieve better compatibility with reactor coolants and reduce early swelling of the material under radiation. The innovations of the IL TROVATORE (Innovative cladding materials for advanced accident-tolerant energy systems) and SCORPION (SiC composite claddings: LWR performance optimization for nominal and accident conditions) projects can help strengthen European industries’ competitiveness in the nuclear sector. More importantly, they could help make nuclear reactors safer, more efficient and longer lasting – supporting the future of clean, reliable nuclear energy. For more information, please see: IL TROVATORE project website(opens in new window) SCORPION project website(opens in new window)